Champions League: Everything you need to know

By James Masters, CNN

updated 6:24 AM EDT, Tue September 16, 2014

Cristiano Ronaldo helped Real Madrid win "La Decima" last season -- the club's 10th triumph in Europe's premier competition. No side has retained the Champions League title since its change in format in 1992.

Four-time winner Barcelona will hope the mercurial Lionel Messi will be able to inspire another success in Europe's top club competition.

Arjen Robben will be the one to watch when Bayern Munich gets its campaign underway. Bayern, which won the competition in 2013, reached the semifinals last season.

Eden Hazard will hope to spearhead Chelsea's challenge under manager Jose Mourinho. Chelsea won its first Champions League title in 2012.

Benfica will hope it can lift the curse of Bela Guttmann by winning the trophy for the first time since 1962. The Portuguese side have reached the Europa League final in each of the past two seasons but lost on both occasions.

Diego Godin was an integral part of the Atletico Madrid side which reached last year's final. His goal in the final against Real Madrid looked to have earned his side a famous victory only for a late equalizer to force extra time. Real went on to win 4-1 in Lisbon.

Alexis Sanchez scored his first goal for Arsenal as it came through a tricky playoff tie against Besiktas. This is the 17th consecutive season which Arsenal has participated in the group stage of the Champions League.

Porto', the 2004 champion will hope Algeria star Yacine Brahimi can inspire his side after a playoff victory over French side Lille.

German side Schalke reached the knockout phase of the competition last season only to suffer a merciless thrashing by eventual champion Real Madrid.

Borussia Dortmund, finalist in 2013, will again be one of the teams to watch under coach Jurgen Klopp. Dortmund made it through to the quarterfinals last season where it was narrowly edged out by Real Madrid.

Juventus, led by Andrea Pirlo, will hope to improve on last year's performance in the Champions League where it failed to get past the group stage.

Paris Saint-Germain made its way to the quarterfinals last season before suffering defeat against Chelsea. Led by the supremely talented forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the French side will be one to watch this year.

Shakhtar Donetsk is struggling to keep hold of its star players due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. It will hope that the situation won't detract from its chances of success in the competition.

FC Basel failed to progress from its group last season despite defeating Chelsea both home and away. The Swiss side will hope to go one better this time around.

Zenit Saint Petersburg came through a tough playoff tie to book its place int the group stage. The Russian side reached the round of 16 in the previous campaign.

English champion Manchester City made it out of the group stage for the first time in the club's history last season. It will be a force to be reckoned with after losing out to Barcelona last year.

Leverkusen, beaten 2-1 in the 2002 final by Real Madrid and Zinedine Zidane's wonderful strike, will be hoping to improve on last year's showing. The German side was thrashed 6-1 on aggregate by PSG in the round of 16.

Olympiacos was left kicking itself last season after taking a 2-0 advantage in the first leg of its second round tie against Manchester United. The Greek side was in pole position to qualify for the quarterfinal but was beaten 3-0 in the second leg at Old Trafford.

CSKA Moscow managed just one win from its six group games last season.

Dutch champion Ajax has failed to progress from the group stage in any of its past four attempts. The club, which has won the competition on four occasions, last triumphed in 1995.

Steven Gerrard inspired Liverpool to European glory in 2005 with a miraculous win over AC Milan in Istanbul. The five-time winner returns to the tournament for the first time since the 2009-10 edition.

William Carvalho is one of Sporting Lisbon's most highly-rated players. The Portuguese side last reached the group stage during the 2008-2009 season.

Galatasaray enjoyed a run to the knockout round last season where it was narrowly beaten by Chelsea. The Turkish side has lost striker Didier Drogba who has returned to Chelsea.

The new San Mames stadium will host Champions League football after Athletic Bilbao overcame Napoli in the playoff. The club has not featured in the group stage since the 1998-99 season.

Belgian side Anderlecht will hope to improve on last season's showing where it drew one and lost five of its six group games.

Roma is back in the Champions League after a four-year absence. Led by captain Francesco Totti, it is one of the most dangerous teams in pot four.

APOEL Nicosia reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League in 2012 but had to come through qualifying and a playoff to secure its place in this year's competition.

BATE Borisov's 3-1 win over Bayern Munich in 2012 remains the Belorussian club's finest moment in the competition. Last season it was knocked out during the second qualifying round by Shakhtar Donetsk.

The Bulgarian side Ludogorets is making its debut in the group stage of the competition. The minnow overcame Steaua Bucharest on penalties to win its playoff tie.

Slovenian side Maribor booked its place in the Champions League group stage following a dramatic victory over 1967 winner Celtic. Tavares scored the crucial away goal as Maribor triumphed 2-1 on aggregate.

Radamel Falcao will be the man to watch for Monaco after recovering from a knee injury which forced him to miss the World Cup. Monaco reached the Champions League final in 2004 where it was beaten by Porto.

Malmo, which reached the European Cup final in 1979, is playing in the Champions League group stage for the very first time.

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Real deal

Messi's moment?

Rocking Robben

Hazard lights

Benfica bounce back?

Godin for glory

Gunning for success

Porto to pounce

Schalke all set

Yellow peril

Hopes pinned on Pirlo

Paris to prosper?

Shakhtar stress

Swiss stars

Incredible Hulk

Silva lining

Leverkusen lurking

Greek tragedy?

CSKA struggles

Ajax awaits

Gerrard's back

Sporting chance

Turkish delight

Bilbao brilliance

Purple reign

Roman rule

APOEL attack

BATE set for battle

Ludogorets looking forward

Maribor menace

Monaco's main man

Malmo's moment

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STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The 2014 Champions League starts Tuesday September 16

Real Madrid aiming to become first team to successfully defend title since revamp in 1992

(CNN) -- The Champions League is back and we can't wait to get started.

Ahead of Tuesday's opening group games in Europe's biggest club competition, we take you through everything you need to know.

Can Real Madrid retain its title? Will Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi break the goalscoring record? Can Jose Mourinho win it with a third different club?

All will be revealed on June 6 in Berlin, but here's the guide to who, what, where and when -- it's the Champions League and it's back.

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Can Real do it again?

No club has ever successfully defended the Champions League title since the competition was revamped in 1992.

And Real, which won "la decima" last season, it's 10th European Cup, will face a struggle to handle the challenge despite its star-studded squad.

Carlo Ancelotti, the manager, can call upon the mercurial talents of Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and the latest "Galactico" to arrive in the Spanish capital -- James Rodriguez.

Toni Kroos, part of the Bayern Munich team which lifted the trophy in 2013, has also made the move to Santiago Bernabeu and slots into midfield alongside Luka Modric.

But while there have been plenty of arrivals, Real has lost key players with the departures of Xabi Alonso to Bayern and Angel di Maria to Manchester United.

Results have been sketchy too -- a defeat by rival Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup was disappointing but nowhere near as embarrassing as the 4-2 loss against Real Sociedad.

On Saturday It was also beaten at home in the league -- by rivals Atletico again.

Real will start its Champions League campaign at home against Swiss side Basel before facing Bulgarian minnow Ludogorets and Liverpool.

Barcelona's biting point?

After the disappointment of losing out to Diego Simeone's Atletico in last year's semifinal and failing to win the league title, Barcelona has turned to one of football's bad boys to reinvigorate its squad.

A 5-0 aggregate defeat was an embarrassing end to a campaign which had begun with much promise.

This time though, Bayern is back and looking even stronger.

It has added Robert Lewandowski, the former Borussia Dortmund striker, while Sebastian Rode has joined from Eintracht Frankfurt.

Kroos and Mario Mandzukic have both moved on but Bayern retain a formidable look.

Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery pose a threat on the wings, Thomas Muller and Mario Gotze both enjoyed an excellent World Cup campaign with Germany, while Xherdan Shaqiri has enjoyed a strong start to the season.

Why is Manchester City so unlucky?

Manchester City has had a raw deal in the Champions League so far.

It might be the best team in England but because of the way the seeding system works, it has often been given the toughest possible group draws.

This time around it faces Bayern, Roma and Russian side CSKA Moscow in what has been labeled as the "Group of Death."

In 2011, City had a similar experience after being paired with Bayern, Napoli and Villarreal -- a group from which it failed to escape.

A year later, it got worse. City failed to win a single group game after being lumped in with eventual finalist Dortmund, Real and Ajax.

Last season, City finally got over the first hurdle along with Bayern, though it was then beaten in the round of 16 by Barcelona.

This time around, Manuel Pellegrini's team will open its campaign at the Allianz Arena against Bayern -- its never easy for City.

Cristiano Ronaldo: A star like no other

Martin Odegaard grabbed another slice of history on Monday, coming on as a substitute during Norway's clash with Bulgaria to become the youngest player ever in European Championships qualifying history at 15 years and 300 days.

Odegaard was given his senior debut for Norwegian club Stromsgodet at the age of 15 by coach Ronny Delia, who has since moved to Scottish champion Celtic.

Martin's father Hans Erik played for Strømsgodset for 11 seasons. He now is overseeing his son's football career. "Martin has always -- and still loves to train," says Hans Erik. "For him training is fun. That's important. It means has kept his joy of football. If you feel you have to do it there's a danger that you will be burned out and tired. I don't think that is a real danger for Martin, because this is his passion and love."

Hans Erik admits his son is a better player than he was -- "but don't tell him that," he quips.

At the age of 15 years and 253 days, Odegaard became Norway's youngest football international in a 0-0 draw with the United Arab Emirates.

Odegaard was the youngest player to represent his country since 1910. "The good thing about Martin is that he always want to be better and is never satisfied," says Hans Erik.

After August's UAE game, Odegaard played for Norway's Under-21 team in a 2-1 defeat by Portugal in his home city of Drammen.

Hans Erik says he has always encouraged Martin (pictured center) to "want the ball and to never be afraid of making mistakes and always try and be creative. In training, always go where it's most tight so you develop best. This always wanting the ball is almost in his DNA."

The nurturing of a football prodigy

The nurturing of a football prodigy

The nurturing of a football prodigy

The nurturing of a football prodigy

The nurturing of a football prodigy

The nurturing of a football prodigy

The nurturing of a football prodigy

The nurturing of a football prodigy

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The nurturing of a football prodigy

Colombian Radamel Falcao stole most of the headlines on the final day of the transfer window after joining English Premier League club Manchester United on loan from French club Monaco.

In January Falcao suffered a cruciate ligament injury during a French Cup football match against Chasselay.

Falcao's injury was front page news back in his homeland.

The injury meant Falcao was unable to play for Colombia at the World Cup in Brazil. In his absence, Colombia reached the quarterfinals before suffering defeat to the hosts.

Falcao played 23 league games for Monaco, scoring 13 goals, including two this season.

Prior to joining Monaco, Falcao played for Atletico Madrid, where he scored 35 goals in 46 league games.

Falcao and his singer songwriter wife Lorelei Taron are in the celebrity spotlight. It's a role that the striker has had to grow accustomed to since becoming a worldwide phenomenon.

Falcao was only in England last month -- playing for Monaco in the Emirates Cup, a preseason tournament hosted by Arsenal involving the French club, Valencia and Benfica.

Radamel Falcao joins Manchester United

Radamel Falcao joins Manchester United

Radamel Falcao joins Manchester United

Radamel Falcao joins Manchester United

Radamel Falcao joins Manchester United

Radamel Falcao joins Manchester United

Radamel Falcao joins Manchester United

Radamel Falcao joins Manchester United

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Radamel Falcao joins Manchester United

Shakhtar security

Shakhtar Donetsk faces a real challenge to progress from its group after being forced to play its games 600 miles away in Lviv.

The Ukrainian-Russian conflict has already meant the club has switched its league fixtures to Kiev but now it faces playing at another of the country's stadiums.

Shakhtar is in Group H along with Athletic Bilbao, BATE Borisov and 2004 champion Porto.

Money, money, money

Real was the big winner both on and off the field last season.

The champion earned $74.3 million from its run to the final which includes the $13.5 million it pocketed for winning the competition.

According to figures provided by UEFA, teams in the Champions League and Europa League shared more than $1.4 billion in prize money last season.

Even Belgian side Anderlecht, which failed to win a single game in last season's group stage, went home with over $15.5 million.

The 32 clubs in this season's group stage could earn a minimum of $11 million, while there is a $1.3 million on offer for each victory and $650,000 for a draw.

Teams which reach the round of 16 will earn $4.5 million each, the quarterfinalists $5 million and the semifinalists $6.3 million.

The champion will collect a cool $13.5 million with the second placed side picking up $8.4 million.

Who's not coming to the party?

While some of the world's top players will be in action there are plenty who will be missing from the Champions League.

Manchester United, which last failed to qualify for the Champions League in 1995, is the biggest loser along with Italian duo AC Milan and Napoli.